Carton



June 5, 1962 c. D. DAUBERT 3, 7, 82

CARTON Filed Jan. 9, 1961 CHARLES D. DAUBERT BY 7% ATTORNEY 3,037,682Patented June 5, 1962 3,037,682 CARTON Charles D. Daubert, 1800 ElVereno Way, Belmont, Calif. Filed Jan. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 81,585 7Claims. (Cl. 229-40) This invention rel-ates generally to the field ofpackaging and is more particularly directed to a novel service featureadapted to be integrally associated with a carton or package forcarrying beverages.

There are numerous prior art cartons for carrying canned or bottledfluids, these cartons or packages usually being made of more or lessheavy paper or cardboard. These cartons are most often used undercircumstances where the beverages are consumed after being chilled, and,especially in a humid atmosphere, the chilling causes condensation ofmoisture which runs down the outside of the fluid container resulting inmarring, disfigurement or irreparable discoloration of the table orsurface upon which the container is placed. In many situations suitablecoasters or protective cups are not available which would provideprotection from the maleffects noted.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide autilitarian coaster for placement beneath containers of chilledbeverages while they are being consumed.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a coaster which isconveniently and integrally formed within the structure of a containercarrying carton.

Additionally, an object is to provide a coaster which is speciallyformed to prevent a container placed thereon from sticking thereto dueto the effects of surface tension.

Other objects are to provide a coaster arrangement which is adapted tobe easily incorporated within the structure of existing paperboard orsimilar cartons, which is inexpensive in manufacture, facile inoperation and highly efiicient in nature.

These and other objects of the invention will be readily apparent tothose skilled in this particular art from a consideration of theaccompanying drawings and the description hereinbelow wherein likenumerals are employed to designate like elements of the inventionthroughout the figures and in which FIGURE 1 is a pictorial view of afluid carrying carton constructed in accordance with the teachings ofthe present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a specific coaster shown removed from thecarton of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional elevational view taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 it will be seen that a carton constructed inaccordance with the present invention is designated generally by thenumeral 1 said carton being comprised of a top 2, sides 3 and 4 and abottom 5. A central dividing wall 6 is also shown which serves to keepseparate the fluid beverage containers 7. It should be pointed out thatthe structure thus far described is more or less conventional and may beadapted to contain glass bottles, metal cans or other containers all ina manner known in the art. It is contemplated that carton configurationsother than that shown may be utilized, e.g. cartons having a raised orbuilt-in handle or carrying means.

According to the instant invention at least one, and preferably a numberequal to the number of containers carried, of knockout coastersgenerally designated by the numeral 10 are provided in carton 1. Thesecoasters are so formed as to be easily removable from carton 1. Thisfeature is accomplished by weakening FIGURE 2 shows a coaster 10 asremoved from carton 1 and which, in this instance, is circular in shape.A plurality of raised embossments or ribs 12 are formed, preferablyintegrally, within coaster 10. Ribs 12 may be easily formed or stampedinto the carton as such carton is to be constructed of deformablematerial. Ribs 12 radiate generally inwardly from points 13 preferablyequidistantly located about the perimeter of coaster 10. As ribs 12 areof equal length, their points of inner termination 14 describe agenerally circular appearance.

Preferably ribs 12 approach the center of coaster 10 at an angle and donot extend perfectly radially inwardly from the perimeter of the coasterto the center thereof thus leaving an open central area 15 which acts asa reservoir for moisture which may accumulate therein. It is noted thatribs 12 serve to alleviate the otherwise flat surface of coaster 10 andbreak or lessen surface tension of the condensed moisture which wouldotherwise cause coaster 10 to adhere to the bottom of a container 16placed thereon. Additionally, the remaining areas between ribs 12 thusalso serve as reservoirs for moisture.

It will also be seen that coaster 10 is provided with an upwardly turnedflange constituting a raised rim 17 about the perimeter thereof whichserves to contain moisture within the confines of coaster 10. This rim17 is preferably stamped or pressed into coaster 10 in the same manneras ribs 12 are formed therein, both said ribs and said rim serving theadditional function of materially strengthening the coaster. Rim 17 maybe formed as the peripheral edge of coaster 10 or slightly inwardlytherefrom as desired.

In operation, as a coaster is desired for use it is a simple matter todepress the same from the carton, after which it is ready for immediateuse. Of course the coaster may be left within the carton structurewithout detracting from its strength, appearance or utility. It is notedthat it may be desirable in certain instances to impregnate, or coateither the whole carton, or just the area surrounding said coasters,with a moisture resistant compound such as wax or the like, suchcompounds being well known in the art.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed it is to be understood that various modifications thereof maysuggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and the invention is tobe construed as including such modifications or additions as they mayfall within the terms of the claims, wherein I claim as my invention:

1. A carton for packaging fluid containers comprising at least threegenerally planar, interconnecting side members, at least one of saidside members being provided with at least one removable coaster means,said coaster means comprising a knockout portion integrally formedwithin the planar surface of said side member and defined therein by aweakened linear perimeter, and a moisture-withholding rim adjacent saidlinear perimeter connected to and raised from the planar surface of saidcoaster means.

2. A carton as claimed in claim 1 in which said coaster means includes aplurality of ribs connected to and raised from the surface thereof, saidribs radiating from points approximately equidistantly disposed aboutsaid perimeter generally inwardly toward the center of said coaster.

3. A carton as claimed in claim 2 in which said ribs and said rim areintegral deformations and upstand from the surface of said coaster andin which the areas between each of said ribs and said rim are connectedone to the other.

4. A coaster as claimed in claim 1 in which said weakened perimeter is alinear perforation.

5. A coaster as claimed in claim 1 in which said weakened perimeter is alinear scoring extending substantially into the surface of said sidemember.

6. In a carton for packaging fluid containers comprising at least threegenerally planar interconnecting side members, the improvement whichcomprises a knockout coaster integrally formed within at least one ofsaid side members, said coaster being defined within said side member bya weakened linear perimeter, a moisturewithholding rim adjacent saidperimeter, said rim constituting an integral deformation upstanding fromthe surface of said coaster, and a plurality of integral deformationsconstituting ribs extending from points adjacent said rim generallyinwardly toward and tangent to an imaginary circle concentric with thecenter of said coaster.

7. A carton for packaging fluid containers comprising a bottom, a topand two interconnecting side walls, a plurality of knockout portionsconstituting circular coasters removably formed within at least one ofsaid Walls and defined therein by a weakened circular perforation, anintegral deformation constituting a rim adjacent said perforation andupstanding from the surface of said coaster, a plurality of integraldeformations constituting ribs upstanding from the surface of saidcoaster and extending from points equidistantly spaced adjacent said rimgenerally inwardly toward the central area of said coaster, said ribsand said rim extending from a common surface of said coaster, and atleast the area in each of said walls constituting said coaster beingrendered water impervious.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,865,742 Chapman July 5, 1932 2,015,294 Stein Sept. 24, 1935 2,116,411Philipson May 3, 1938 2,963,198 Foster Dec. 6, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS532,485 Great Britain Jan. 24, 1941 1,047,592 France July 22, 1953

